DO YOU, BOO

discovering your passion

DO YOU, BOO
The DO YOU BOO group page is a place for SHAMELESS MAYAs boos to connect,
motivate and inspire each other in Discovering Your Passion. Its a safe place to share
your journey, ask for help and advice from your fellow boos and to keep each other on
track with your own personal shameless journey. The support from the group will
encourage you to reach for your goal- with tips, links, and other inspirational material
from TEAM SHAMELESS to keep you excited and motivated.

DO YOU. BE YOU. STAY TRUE. BE SHAMELESS

THE CHALLENGE
Do what you love, love what you do. Do You, Boo!

We all have our day to day responsibilities and sometimes they can put us in a rut,
making us lose touch with our true life goals. Everyday life can get in the way, so it
takes focus, prioritizing and some soul searching to get back on track to rediscover or
realize our goals. DO YOU wish that you could start fresh? The idea may seem
The DO YOU, BOO CHALLENGE is about knowing the life you want and living it. It
doesnt happen instantly, but deciding to work towards your goal is the rst step to
making it happen. It wont be easy, but anything worthwhile isnt. Its about making a
change in your life and deciding to DO YOU, BOO. Going through the following steps
isnt the key to ultimate happiness or making sure that your dreams will come true. It
is, however, a way of discovering what you are good at and helping dene what you
truly want in your life. These steps helped me along my journey. Take what you need
and let it inspire you along yours.
1. DISCOVERING WHAT YOU WANT
DO discover who you are by asking yourself questions. Who am I? What
do I want? What is my current life like? What makes me happy? What are
my passions? What did I want to be as a kid? What do I love to do now?
What are my strengths? Always ask questions and be honest with
yourself. If you've never taken a gymnastics class in your life, you're
unlikely to go to the olympics. That's not to say you couldnt learn to do
gymnastics and nd a job where those skills can be used. You never know
where your dreams can lead you. Discover what you like, nd what you
love and focus in on what you really want to do with your life.
2. GOALS: PUT IT DOWN ON PAPER
DO put it down on paper once you decide what change you want in your
life. Try somewhere near your bed, bathroom mirror or fridge. Make a
written contract with yourself stating the action you will be taking. Im
notorious for this! Cousin Jeigh and I would always write contracts on
napkins. I found one of my old contracts and it read This time in 5 years
Ill be living in New York or Los Angeles. Although it took longer than 5
years I laughed seeing it because it eventually happened. Words have
power but only if you commit to them. Be committed to this! You may list
numerous things, but remember change takes time. Drastic change takes
more time. Listing our goals helps us to stay on track and making a
contract is a commitment to ourselves to stay focused.
3. GET INSPIRED
DO create a mood board, vision board, dream board. Whatever you want
to call it to get you inspire. Visual or even audio inspirations are best. Have
inspirational quotes, photos, cut outs from magazines. Anything that
keeps you curious and driven towards your dreams and ultimate goal. And
put this in places youll see consistently, Put it someplace youll see rst
thing in the morning and last thing at night. Its all about reprogramming
your current train of thought through mindful inspiration and forming new
patterns and habits. We are constant works in progress, always
growing, evolving, changing. Continue to add or modify to your visual
inspiration board as you move along your journey and as your dreams and
aspirations become more clear and focused.
4. TAKE STEPS forward
DO take steps and start small. The rst step on your new path was
deciding to make a change in your life. Now you need to take the next
step. For me, I like to do daily to dos and check them off as I go.
Checking off this list daily motivates me to keep going and reminds me
that Im moving forward towards my goal. This journey may not go as fast
as you want, but nothing worthwhile does. You need to think about
moving one step at a time. What is that next step to take you closer to
your goal? Whether it be signing up for a gym, enrolling in an arts class,
starting to write down ideas for stories or songs or looking at postings for
your dream job. The slightest movement in the direction of our goal sets
us on the path to attaining it. I like doing this last thing on a Sunday so I
know what needs to be accomplished that week. Distraction do happen
but I always like to make sure I have a list ready for the following day
before I go to bed. Once Ive seen my to dos checked off, I feel a sense of
accomplishment. Its all about celebrating the small victories!
5. CONSISTENCY IS KEY
DO create a schedule for yourself. I have a hard copy planner that lets me
see my schedule and what Im doing with my time. It's easier to be
consistent when you have a schedule to stick to. When you play it by ear
or day to day, it's easier to get distracted and end up less motivated to get
up and do. However, if you know you have that training session, class,
meeting or appointment you will be more likely to go through with it if it's
in your schedule. Depending on your current life, you will have to be
mindful of not overloading your schedule. Be kind to yourself and start
small. Build and add to your schedule gradually as you see t. At rst, do
one or two things a week that will help move you towards your goal.
Whether it be going to an interview, initiating a conversation, or posting
work on a blog. The more consistent we are the better. And remember
that moving too fast can lead to burnout. Be motivated, but dont push
yourself too hard. You will eventually increase the amount of time spent
doing these new activities, just remember that youre scheduling
everything to keep balance and order in your life. Balance is key.
6. STUDY YOUR CRAFT/PASSION/WORK 8. ELIMINATE THE NEGATIVE BAGGAGE
DO study and understand your craft/passion/work and nd a person who
is living your dream job. Do a prole on them. Why are they successful?
What did they do to get where they are now? What do they do to stay
there? For me I loved reading and watching autobiographies of the greats.
Across the board, they all were faced with adversity. It almost seemed like
the greater adversity, the greater the person. They all just kept DOING
what they loved and they worked around the clock because it wasnt work
to them. All of my inspirations were this type of workaholic. If you do not
enjoy the work, evaluate why and move on. Find your inspirations and
study their habits. Studying is soooo important!
7. ALL ABOUT THE MONEY
DO invest time into understanding money. How can you turn something
youre passionate about into a source of income? You know what you love
to do and what you want to do, but how can it make you money? Before
asking others to invest in you, YOU must invest in yourself and that means
laying the proper foundation which requires a ton of research, study, work,
discipline and yes investing your own money and time in your hobby/
craft/passion. Until youre in a nancial position to up and quit your job
continue to work, save, invest. Maybe your goals had a nancial number.
This may give your job a new found purpose since you now have a
nancial number to work towards. Change your attitude and perspective.
How can I make the most of my job? What can I be grateful for? Maybe
your hobby is jewelry making and you want that to nancially support you.
Start from where you are now; more than likely with limited resources.
With the resources you do have start thinking creatively. Try gifting your
craft to your friends and family. What do they think of your passion? If
they love it they may start referring your jewelry to their friends. After
years of practicing my photography, my actor friends from theatre school
paid me to take their headshots. It wasnt much, but I was grateful and
learned (on a small scale) the foundation of transforming my hobby into
paid work. This is not an easy task. Make sure you do plenty of research
not only on your hobby but how to start your own business. It takes time
and discipline to nd nancially stability, so until things are owing
steadily be grateful for the job you have and try to nd the happiness in
your day-to-day life. If youve written your goals down youll nd its easier
to go to work with a newfound purpose.
DO eliminate unnecessary, negative baggage. We all have the things that
keep us from fullling our dreams; distractions that keep us from staying
focused on our goal. It could be too much partying, watching too much TV
or constantly being on your smartphone. Figure out the things that are
keeping you distracted and start to slowly eliminate those bad habits.
Sometimes it could be people in your life who are holding you back. Do
you have a friend who keeps distracting you from your schedule? Are
there people in your life who dont believe in your dreams? You may have
to ask yourself, What good am I getting from this relationship? You need
to eliminate things and people that bring you down and make you
unfocused. You also need to take a good look at yourself and make sure
youre not contributing to the negativity. Are you gossiping? Are you
always complaining? Are you always blaming others? Check yourself and
the other around you. It may seem drastic at rst, but in taking control of
your life you must make some sacrices to ensure that you keep yourself
in a positive and inspired state of mind. Detoxing of bad habits- in some
cases they may be addictions- can be very hard and may require
professional help.
9. THE POWER OF AFFIRMATIONS
Do use afrmations as a part of your everyday life. An afrmation is the
action or process of doing something supportive and encouraging. Write
positive messages on your mirrors with dry erase markers to keep yourself
motivated and focused. I am beautiful and intelligent! It can be whatever
you need to feel better about yourself. Keep Post Its with afrmations or
inspiring quotes around the house. Have one right at the entrance of your
home so that you read it before you leave. The power of afrmations,
when working towards our goals is key in our success and can have the
power of keeping us motivated and inspired. I nd both written
afrmations and quiet in my head and heart prayers KEY to replacing my
negative habits. When I would ride the NYC subway, I had an afrmation I
read every time I rode the train for a solid 10 minutes. I would repeat the
same afrmation over and over again. I found that when a negative, self
defeating thought entered, I would automatically jump to my afrmation I
had reprogrammed myself to say and it eventually eliminated that
negative thought! The key for afrmations is repetition and time. All things
take time so treat this as a new lifestyle habit.

10. FIND A MENTOR
DO seek someone you admire; someone who has possibly gone through
the process you are undergoing. See if they can help you or give you
advice on getting along the journey. Make sure this step comes after doing
your own research and study. Know what the heck youre talking about so
your mentor can help in the areas you dont. The last thing a mentor wants
to do is spoon feed someone that hasnt invested in their passion. A
mentor has a wealth of knowledge and information that can help keep
your informed and your journey more focused. Its also a great motivator
to have someone in your life that has achieved some level of success in
what you are trying to do. Your dreams are possible and your mentor is
proof of it.
11. FIND YOUR COMMUNITY
DO nd your community. Who are the people in your city or your
neighbourhood that do what you do or do what you want to do. Meet
them. This might be at art gallery show openings, an open mic night at a
local piano bar or at a writers collective. Maybe its at a class at your local
gym. Wherever it may be, nd people with similar interests, passions and
goals. Creating relationships within your community is one of the most
important things in life. You are not only enrichening your life, but you are
building a support system and creating possible opportunities in the
future. The more people we know in our eld and have genuine
relationships with, the more opportunities could arise in the future. Find an
accountability friend. You may nd this person within your community. It
can be someone going along their own journey or someone who has
already been through something similar or just someone who believes in
your goals and is as determined as you are to achieve them. This person
will check in with you, see you how you are doing. You will do the same
with them. Having someone specic that you can talk to about your
process is a great way to keep you motivated. When you have someone to
answer to it's easier to stay on track.
.
12. COLLABORATE TO ELEVATE
DO collaborate with like minded people. Collaboration is essential in
growing. No one ever accomplished their dreams alone. Collaborating
with others in your eld is inevitable. Write songs with someone, perform
with a group or team. Joining classes is a great way to do this and meeting
people in your community gives you a wider range of people to meet and
possibly work with. You might also be inspired by something they're doing
or they may suggest something you never thought of. The more brains the
better. Criticism and critique from your peers is also a great way to gauge
whether what you are putting out there is working. Have an audition study
group. Do mock interviews with your friends. Remember to keep focused
on your goals. Balance is key. You're on your own journey, not riding
someone else's.
13. TAKE TIME TO REFLECT
DO take time to reect and make sure youre happy with where you are.
Every month you should do a look back to see what you have
accomplished. At times we forget that it's the little victories along the way
that lead you to your ultimate goal. Reminding yourself of them also helps
keep you motivated along the journey. No one ever became truly
successful overnight. Write down your accomplishments in a journal and
celebrate them. You can even post them on your mood board to keep you
inspired. Its a great way to keep track of the progress you are making.
14. BE YOU, STAY TRUE, BE SHAMELESS
DO shamelessly promote yourself. You have to be your biggest champion.
No one will do it for you. You have to be the driving force behind the
change in your life. As much as people will want to help you, you will be
the ultimate force in being the ercest, most fabulous you! Remember that
each one of us has a different path. Dont try to copy somebody elses
journey to success, let that success story inspire you to make your own
mindful choices and create a journey toward your goal. Once youve
reached a point where you are condent in your work or passions, share it.
If you dont, the world wont care or know that either you or your work
exists. It is hard for us to put our work or ourselves out there, but it must
be done in order to achieve some type of success. If you are proud of your
work put it out there. You never know who may nd it, and most of all,
whom you may inspire to reach for their dreams!
15. DO YOU, BOO
Now get out there and do you, be you and stay true! Be Shameless!!